Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA

Rankings Don’t Show Wilkes’ True Value

Dr. Patrick F. Leahy, president of Wilkes University (PA), writes: The U.S. News & World Report ranking considers many factors in its calculations: acceptance rates, academic quality profile, retention and graduation rates, financial resources, and peer perception. However, U.S. News does not adequately take into consideration the profile of the students that each institution chooses to serve, which greatly limits the ranking’s value. Institutions that serve access missions, such as Wilkes, tend to be adversely affected by the ranking measures.